When The Midnight Bells Toll
by marycatherinehayes
Summary: Another dark wizard is causing havoc in both Muggle and Wizarding worlds, Harry is called to a hospital where he finds bad news waiting for him. Character death involved rated T for this purpose as children may get upset. AU and out of character.


When The Midnight Bells Toll.

A Harry Potter Fan Fiction.

Authors Notes

Warning, character death is included in this story. All characters belong to JK Rowling, I own Jennifer, Cynthia, VJ, Josie and a Muggle Doctor. I am just adding a little goodwill and peace in this Christmas one shot, please review at the end. Also this story is inspired by the wonderful works of Yiruma (see YouTube Yiruma play-list 91 tracks) listen to this while reading and you can feel the emotions through his playing.

Christmas eve is supposed to be a wonderful night for most people, but for Harry Potter a wonderful night filled with happiness and watching his excited children wait for Father Christmas was far from his mind.

Harry James Potter was twenty-six years old, and right now, when he should be celebrating the season with his family he was sitting in a Muggle hospital in Surrey, waiting to find out if his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and irritating cousin Dudley were going to live. He was surrounded by Ministry Wizards even though Voldemort had been dead for nearly ten years Harry still needed protection. Another dark wizard was wreaking havoc among the Muggle and Wizarding worlds.

His heavily pregnant wife Ginny was at home in Godric's Hollow-where they had moved after their second child had been born- with their two children James Sirius and Albus Severus and her parents, waiting for his return.

He had received a phone call on thee newly fitted telephone earlier in the evening from a Muggle Police Station in Surrey to tell him that his estranged family had been attacked by sources unknown to them and that all three of them were in hospital fighting for their lives. What the police didn't know was that the Dursleys had been attacked by wizards!

'Mr Potter?' Harry heard his name being called and turned around, coming face to face with an extremely young lady doctor who looked very familiar to him.

'Yes' Harry replied. 'What's happening, will they live?'

'Mr Potter, I am Dr Lovegood, I am sorry to tell you this but I am afraid that it's bad news. You see that despite all our best efforts your Aunt and Uncle did not respond to the treatments we have used this evening. Sadly they both passed away a few minutes ago. Your cousin, however is responding well at the moment and is asking to speak with you. If you would please follow me I'll take you to his room.' They started to walk down the corridor, as they were walking the doctor started to speak again. 'Mr Potter, your cousin has not been informed of his parents passing as it may disrupt his treatments and recovery.' She said with a grave look on her face.

'That's okay, I won't say anything to him. Thank you for warning me, and for doing everything you could with my Aunt and Uncle.' Harry told her.

'Please don't bother thanking me Mr Potter. It is my job to take care of people and try to make them better. I do seem to have passed on my love of medicine though to my cousin Luna, unfortunately though I do not know where she works.' Harry knew exactly were she worked having only seen Luna a few weeks ago. 'Now this is his room Mr Potter.' Doctor Lovegood broke his thoughts. 'Please come and see me when you are leaving.' She said.

'Thank you'. Harry said as he opened the door and went in. closing the door behind him, Harry turned to face his cousin in the hospital bed. He let out a gasp when he saw him. The person laying in the hospital bed was a completely different person to the one that he remembered saying goodbye to at his wedding nine years ago.

He was now very thin-skin and bone really-and he looked very frail. His skin was grey against the bright pearly white of the hospital sheets on the bed and he was very feverish. He looked a little like a zombie out of one of the many horror films around!

Harry walked over to the bed and sat down in the chair that was next to it. 'Dudley' he said quietly to his cousin, who opened his eyes slowly.

'Harry thank you for being here. I know you'd rather be with Ginny tonight.' Dudley started and then took a shallow breath. ' I asked the doctor to let you in because' he paused again to take another shallow breath, he seemed to be having trouble catching his breath. 'Because I need to tell you something. I know it was wizards who did this Harry, but I want you to know that I don't blame you.' Dudley finished softly.

'Please Dudley, don't speak. You need to save your energy.' Harry protested.

'No Harry' the protests went ignored. 'I need to do this before its too late. I don't blame you for anything. In fact I admired you for putting up with everything before and after you went to Hogwarts. Your wife and little boy are lucky to have you. I know I am nearing the end now I can feel it.' Dudley carried on.

'No Dudley, the doctor said you're responding well.' Harry protested again.

'What does she know about it. She's not a witch is she!' Dudley snapped, as Harry caught a glimpse of the old Dudley for a moment.

'Actually her cousin is a witch, I went to school with her. She was at our wedding, blonde hair, a little dizzy. Her name is Luna.' Harry said quickly, trying to calm Dudley down, because the machines had started to bleep erratically.

'Yes' Dudley said closing his eyes 'I remember her.' Opening his eyes suddenly he said, 'Harry, I need you to listen to me. I'm confessing to something that no body else knows about. Not even my parents. You have to listen carefully to what I am about to say.'

Harry nodded silently as Dudley continued. 'I have a son and a daughter who need to be provided for when I am gone. Not long after your wedding Jennifer and I split up. A year later I met Cynthia the mother of my children. Cyn is a witch Harry, she knows all about my cousin the famous Harry Potter. She went to Hogwarts, a Hufflepuff is it? Apparently she was in fourth year when you left.' He paused for a minute and took another shallow breath before he carried on. His eyes closed in pain as he breathed. 'I had been with Cyn for years, up until last year, when she disappeared taking my children with her. I think she just couldn't handle it any more with my mother being so controlling all the time with me. Anyway I need you to go to Privet Drive, the key is under the flowerpot next to the mat. In your old room under the loose floorboard there's about twenty thousand pounds in there. Then go to my room under my bed there is another loose floorboard, under it is a bank book, bank card and a post office book. Take everything Harry, it all amounts to about eighty thousand pounds. I sold my flat intending to buy a house and move Cyn and the kids in so we could be together properly, but she left just after the sale went through. So I just put the money in the bank, saved it for a rainy day. You'll need identification for yourself and for me.' He paused again, and reached for a glass of water. Harry jumped up to help. After taking a sip he continued. 'if you go to Grunnings in the top draw of my desk in my office you'll find all the ID you'll need, along with my Last Will and Testament. You need to find her Harry, find Cyn and my kids, give her everything. It's all for the three of them. It's all set out in my Will.' Dudley finished with a sigh.

Harry nodded silently once more and stood up. He walked over to the window and looked out over the car park. Down below he could see two Ministry cars, parked waiting for him and his guard to finish their business in the hospital. It was dark outside and a huge clock on a church spire showed that it was eleven-thirty. Harry turned to see that Dudley was watching him.

'I know you shouldn't be here, it's Christmas; you should be at home with Ginny and James. Oh, yes that's right you've got two kids now haven't you? I remember Cyn telling me about it.' He said.

Harry walked back over to the bed. 'Yes James is eight now and Albus is coming up for seven. James looks like me, and Al is like my mum, but with Ginny's fiery red hair. We've got another on the way, a girl, Ginny is due in early February. We've decided to call her Lily after my mum. How old are your two Dudley?'

They're twins actually, the same age as Albus. Vernon Junior, but he gets called VJ and Josie. I don't even know if they can do magic or not. You where about their age when you started doing weird things weren't you?' Dudley replied.

'Yes I was. Albus is just starting to come into his magic. James, now that's a funny story, he started early. He had just turned four years old, we were still living in London then; and one morning I walked into the kitchen down in the basement and found James standing on the table in the middle of the room waving my wand around. Everywhere including James was literally covered in sugar, coffee, flour, basically everything every piece of food in the kitchen. He just stood there and looked at me with this huge cheeky, mischievous grin on his face covered in all this gunk. Then he says to me "Breakfast ready now daddy" it was so funny, but I was so proud of him that I couldn't tell him off.' Harry laughed at the memory. He got up once more to stretch his legs and walked over to the window again. Outside it had started to snow. 'Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas Big D.' He said.

He turned and saw Dudley had fallen asleep, so quietly he sat down again and rested his hand on Dudley's. He woke again and smiled slightly at Harry. 'We never did get on did we Harry?'

'No we didn't.' Harry replied.

'I always remember my birthday in the zoo with the Boa Constrictor.' Dudley tried to laugh, but didn't quite get there.

'It was a Burmese Python actually. That was the year I found out about Hogwarts. The school letters started coming down the chimney and hitting your dad in the face. We went to that little shack in the middle of the sea. At midnight, I turned eleven and Hagrid started banging on the door. I seem to recall you getting a pigs tail that night. I started Hogwarts a few weeks later.' Harry once again laughed at his memory. He turned to the window to see the time on the church clock. It said eleven-fourtyfive. 'It'll be Christmas soon, only fifteen minutes.' He said to Dudley.

'I know. I went to London a few weeks ago to do some shopping. They're all under the tree at home. There is some for you Ginny and James in my room, I didn't get anything for Albus though, sorry.' Dudley said.

'Don't worry about it Dudley.' Harry reassured him. 'It's the thought that counts most.'

'I just had a feeling that I would be seeing you this Christmas.' Dudley said.

'Well I know that James will be thrilled at having another present.' Harry said before thanking his cousin.

'Do you know how my mum and dad are?' Dudley asked in a voice so small it could hardly be heard by a mouse.

Harry sighed inwardly before replying to him, thinking quickly about what he could say. 'The doctor said they are responding well, but they are in the Intensive Care Unit, so they aren't allowed visitors, something about this virus that has been sweeping through Muggle Hospitals. Personally I think it's stupid because they let me in to see you didn't they?' Harry told him, wishing that he could tell him the truth.

He never received an answer. Silence pounded his ears as it went deathly cold in the hospital room. The church clock outside struck midnight and the window blew open. Quiet as a mouse Harry heard the words 'Merry Christmas Harry Potter' being carried on the wind. The bells tolled midnight, celebrating Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, as the wind blew once more through the room and the window closed silently on its own.

Harry turned towards the bed. He knew his cousin had gone, peacefully but not alone. He had not been irritating and they had found reconciliation in his final hour. Harry knew now what he must do, but first he had to find the doctor.

He silently left the room closing the door behind him and turned down the corridor looking for the doctor. But instead of finding her, he saw the ghostly beings of his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley looking at him. They smiled at Harry before slowly disappearing.

As the midnight bells still tolled for the joyous season Harry knew that they had found peace at last. For that is what Christmas is all about Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards Men.

Authors Notes.

I know it is not Christmas right now, but when I wrote this a couple of years back it was Christmas I hope you have enjoyed reading this story. If so please review, and check out my other fic if you're a fan of Twilight. Thanks in advance for the reviews. As always nothing belongs to me except a few non canon characters and a packet of sweets, all canon characters belong to JK Rowling.


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